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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Black Plastic Bags

The unlimited uses for Black Plastic Bags...

Black Plastic Bags, affectionately referred to as BPB from
here on out, are ubiquitous in St. Vincent. The most common place to find BPB
is the grocery store and any and all small shops, whether it is a supermarket,
clothing store, pharmacy, what have you.
Whenever you purchase something, anything, it is placed in a BPB. Often times, the bag is tied.

I just bought $5 or $150 worth of groceries and it’s all put
in BPB. Depending on the items, the bags
are double bagged and sometimes tied.
The way they tie the bags here is different, and I can never get them
untied. I always have to tear open the
bag.

BPB are used to put Styrofoam (as a materials scientist and a
self-proclaimed environmentalist, this is the material I abhor the most) food
containers in after you leave the shop/restaurant/stall.

BPB are the go-to method of transporting goods to/from one
another and from stores. You brought
some food to a neighbor and left your plate there, no problem it will be
returned to you in a BPB. You left your
clothes at my house, its ok, it will be hand delivered to you in a tied BPB.
God forbid people know what it is you are carrying. You want to lend your DVDs
to someone; sure thing coming at you in a BPB.

Other Uses for BPB include:

Trash bags-I have never bought garbage
bags. And I still have a crap load of
BPB.

Food containers-I have used BPB to carry
snacks, to pack my lunch for school, and to store food.

Purses-I have seen women carry everything
they have in BPB.

Wallets-I have also been behind people at
the grocery store who pull out all their cash/cards from a BPB.

Shower/bathing caps when at the sea or when
it rains-BPB come in handy when you cant/don’t want to get your hair wet at the
beach or when it rains.

Bookbag-I have carried many students’
notebooks in BPB. It’s just easier to
carry when my school bag is already full.

Waterproofing for electronics-Don’t want
your phone to get wet? Don’t want your camera to get paint all over it while at
J’Ouvert? No problem, just put it in a BPB and tie it up.

Gloves-I have use BPB for cleaning, or any other time I dont want my hands to get dirty.

Special Guest Appearance: the Clear Plastic Bag (CPB)

The intended
use of the CPB is mostly for food packaging.
Sugar, flour, rice, salt, popcorn, and most other food that is bought in
“bulk” is sold in CPB. If you buy any
vegetables or fruit at the Vegetable Market, they will be put in a tied CPB for
you to carry home. Fish, chicken, bread
and eggs come in CPB.

Similar to
BPB, CPB can also assume the aforementioned roles once they have served their
initial purpose.

Types of BPB

The BPB comes in a vast range of sizes and different “types”
of plastic. There is matte black and
there is shiny black. Let me digress and
give you some lessons in materials science (oh how I miss this!). They are made
of polyethylene (PE); the most common plastic.
There are many types of PE with various molecular structures and
properties. Depending on the density of
the PE, will determine properties including flexibility or ductility, toughness
and chemical resistance. Applications of
PE range from (in order of highest density to lowest density): artificial
joints and implants, milk jugs, detergent bottles, pipes, shrink wrap, bubble
wrap, plastic bags, hoses, tubes, food packaging, etc. Most BPB are Low Density
Polyethylene (LDPE).

Many times I have found unusual uses for BPB and CPB.

EVERYTHING comes in a BPB.

Most staples come in CPB-sugar, flour, rice, corn meal, pop corn, peas, beans. They are also used to put vegetables and fruits that are purchased in the Central Market in Town.

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About Me

RPCV Eastern Caribbean-St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2011-2014. Materials Scientist by training and profession, currently residing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines post-Peace Corps and teaching Math, Physics and Materials Engineering at the SVG Technical College.